All Those Years
by Smolicious
Summary: Where Hiccup is taking the stress too far and Astrid felt the need to search out someone who may have a better hand in helping him realize he is not alone. Valka. (One Shot) Set between movies 2-3. [Reviews are the highlight of my day, they’re welcome!]


All Those Years

Description Where Hiccup is taking the stress too far and Astrid felt the need to search out someone who may have a better hand in helping him realize he is not alone.

Inspiration Was laying around lazily and thought of how Hiccup could just be laying around being comforted lol. Obviously it turned into so much more. Plus I was thinking of how they didn't really put many Valka/Hiccup comfort scenes in the third movie so I couldn't help myself. The further I went, the further I spiraled into my own mind. So… with saying that, cute!Hic and mom!Valka are going to make a big appearance. And of course Astrid needed to pop in to say hi with Stormfly. Can't forget Cloudjumper, too! Enjoy!

Time set between movies 2-3 but mainly set in Movie 2

———————

"He's stretching himself thin, and I'm helping as much as I can. We've even chosen different sides of the new berk island to watch over to make sure we stay protected. He trusts me, and I'm glad he's letting me take control of that, but he doesn't realize he doesn't have to do everything else in this community on his own," Astrid thought aloud, swinging her axe against the breeze while sitting atop the roof of her boyfriend's mom's home.

She noticed how much Hiccup was working himself into his own grave and she knew it was not going to end well, and soon. However, while thinking over it this morning, she realized she wasn't the only Viking on Hiccup's side, and surely she never would be. So, with that on her mind, she had set out to find Valka, Hiccup's long lost mom that had disappeared for 20 years, and she hoped that the mother had an idea of what to do.

"I woke up this morning, turned in the bed, and found empty sheets staring back at me like I was intruding. I think Hiccup's down in the forge still building something that he had been working on since yesterday and hasn't been to sleep. He's overworking himself far too much Valka, and I think it's now coming out of my realm of knowledge to help him… I think you should do something, ma'am. I realize you have been gone since he was just a young child, but maybe you can convince him he needs to just lay down and take a nap, take a break, anything, every once in a while. Not everything is about being a chief." Astrid paused. She could have gone on and on about it and she assumed, by the caring look in Valka's eyes, that the woman would have let her continue as long as she pleased, but this was not about her, and she did not want to make it about her. She sat back, gazing at the older woman with expectancy and curiosity in her eyes. She wondered if this woman had any idea even how to do what she was asking, or perhaps she was as good a mother as she was wise, and she was wise.

Valka sat a moment, staring back at her son's girlfriend in a moment of awestruckenness. It took a second, but the woman finally snapped out of it, giving the younger female a soft smile.

"I'm proud of you, both of you, for stepping up like this, Astrid, in the face of all evil and dragons. Thank you for coming to me with this," she spoke, and then paused rather briefly, eyes widening in realization, "and I do believe I may have the answer as to what you speak."

Astrid furrowed her brows in confusion. That was the only thing the older woman said before Astrid saw a shimmer in Valka's eyes as she smiled mysteriously, raising her staff in her hand and then casually letting it drop and swing around the edge of the house. Valka held on to the staff as she came swinging to land on the back of Cloudjumper, who was keeping watch beside a very sleepy Stormfly.

Astrid watched as the woman swiftly sat among her beast, they rose in the air, rather elegantly, and then dove down into town towards the forge with a grace that only Cloudjumper could pull off- perhaps Toothless too, if he wanted to, but that usually didn't happen.

Astrid smiled softly, brushing stray blonde strands of hair back behind her ear and hopping down off the top of the house to meet with Stormfly, who was more awake now, shaking her scales in excitement when seeing her human.

Valka, if the look in her eye was anything to say how well she could handle such a situation, could definitely handle this.

———————

Hiccup grumbled to himself, accidentally snapping the metal in half after thinning it too much. He had done this many times, so why couldn't he do it now?

"Stupid," he growled, kicking one half of the metal to one side of the room and the hot object connected with the wall, lighting it up for a split second. His prosthetic leg gave out from under him, having kicked with his good leg, and he dropped suddenly. However, before he could hit the ground, a hand had slipped around his abdomen and caught him.

Breathing irregularly after that scare, Hiccup was brought back to a stable stance by gentle hands. He blinked, turning around to meet his mother eye to eye- not level of course, but he was trying his best to stand as tall as he could compared to her lengthy height. Her hands left his small waist and hung weary at her sides, needing something to do but not sure where to put them.

"Mom, uh…" Hiccup gave his mom a pathetic excuse for a smile and then closed his eyes, turning back around to see the crackling fire ahead, avoiding the judging eyes behind him.

"Hiccup, Astrid-"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to begin with.

Hiccup swung back around, making good use of his good leg now instead of leaning on the prosthetic, glaring daggers at the woman. There was so much emotion in his eyes she had no idea where to start. Though, she didn't need to, as he started for her, interrupting her thought process.

"Astrid what? Mom, don't come in here trying to convince me to- to take some nap over the weekend and come back refreshed, only to find twelve armies ready to kill my people, because I still have treaties to sign and I need to make new saddles- remember that? The saddles? No, you don't. Because you never had saddles, you actually successfully hid yourself from humankind for as long as you could have, and I ruined it for you."

With Hiccup nearly fuming, Valka knew immediately she needed to calm her son down, and shouting back or trying to make up excuses were not going to fix the problem, so she bowed her head, closed her eyes, and sighed.

"I'm sorry Hiccup… I didn't mean for it to happen, and I believe you know that already. I just wish you could see yourself," she said, looking back up and locking eyes with her boy. The young man she never knew all her life had become someone she would be oh so proud of.

Hiccup was taken aback at the comment, eyes widening. If he could see himself? What, did he really look that bad?

"I don't mean physically, Hiccup," his mother whispered softly, as though reading his mind, taking a small step forward as if approaching a skittish animal. She slowly rose her hand, gently brushing his cheek and softly urging him to look her in the eyes again. His green eyes shimmered with unshed tears and he bit his lip, trying to keep himself from breaking in front of the one person who should never have become a stranger to him… he should feel welcome to cry in front of her, feel safe with her, but for him it didn't work that way. His head was toward her, but his eyes were aimed to the floor, trying hard to keep himself from letting any emotion seep out in worry that he would strain his already thin, forming, relationship with her.

"Hiccup…" Valka had her other hand up to cover her mouth in shock before she could do anything and tears pooled in her eyes too. She had missed everything. And there was no way to go back and see his first steps, or his ideas when he was a little child, to grow up respecting his elders, or to teach him how to love instead of hate. Yet.. even though she wasn't there, Stoick had taught him this, had helped him grow to be the man he is today. Now, the only way to go was up and she would not ruin her chance of fixing what was broken in their relationship… but slowly.

With one hand leaving her mouth and coming to rest on his trembling shoulder, she brought the other hand up to move a lock of auburn hair out of her view of his face. She shouldn't mess this up. This beautiful boy was standing mere inches from her that she brought into this world, and she needed to protect him, and she needed to let him know she will always be there to fall back on. He was her boy, and no matter what came she would always be there. Her Hiccup.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," she whispered gently, remembering the day as clear as if it was happening right now. Her hand was slowly drifting to his ear and cheek, softly caressing the side of his face as she did so. The young Viking didn't seem to say anything in response, but Valka swore that day that she heard a small 'i forgive you' leave his lips. She let a tear slip and just like that a dam broke. She couldn't do it anymore, and she reached out and pulled him toward her, hand leaving his cheek and now enveloped in fluffy locks of hair, the other hand slipping around his lower back and then gently pulling him toward her, allowing him to escape if he felt the need, but also helped keep him standing in the process.

"I love you so much…" she whispered, running her hand through his short hair and wondering how he got it to be so fluffy feeling.

Hiccup whimpered, his head slipping into the crook of her neck and shoulder and she nuzzled the side of his against hers lovingly. She hasn't been able to do that since he was a baby and oh how she missed it.

"Mom," the young Viking whispered, and his voice seemed choked, catching in his throat, "I ...can't do it…"

It was then Valka felt something warm and wet beginning to drip onto her neck and shoulder, and in a way, it felt oddly comforting to know she was someone he was trusting to truly cry on. She smiled sadly, tightening her grip around him. But what he said next really did shake her to the core.

"...how…how did he do it?"

It was a small voice, coming from someone who was too young to be who he was being forced into being. Valka squeezed her eyes shut in a moment of pain. A sharp pain that shot through her heart, then it lowered and tightened around her gut, and then squeezed and dropped, seeming as though it took a part of her heart with it from the very beginning.

She let him cry until it was a dull whimper in the side of her neck. The mother felt small exhales of warm breath against her neck and she could only remember in times long ago, when he was a babe, in her arms and crying with his face in the crook of her neck. Back then, rocking him was always a good way to calm the young Viking, but he was older now, and she only knew of one thing that may still work, though she had only done it a number of times when he was younger and barely recognizing what it was that was going on.

Valka inhaled deeply and then pulled back, pushing him gently away from her to see him better. Hiccup wasn't looking at her, again he was peering down, not wanting her to see his tear stained cheeks and red rimmed eyes. He quickly swiped at his nose and wiped away any tears left on his freckled cheeks that he could find restlessly. His cheeks heated up a light shade of pink in embarrassment at his outburst and he was definitely trying to avoid any eye contact.

Valka smiled softly, gently gripping his chin and carefully forcing his head to tilt upwards and look at her. His eyes closed for a moment before blinking and gazing into her own with so much pain she nearly began crying again. She too, however, had tears staining her cheeks. They were dried but they were there.

Rubbing his chin lovingly, she could feel the peach fuzz of a forming beard and she couldnt have felt prouder. Hiccup was still struggling to look into her eyes, trying to remain confident, but his eyes said so much more. Finally, she leaned down and let her forehead gently touch his, somewhat forcing him to look her in the eyes, and she spoke softly.

"He did it because I was there with him, from the beginning, and at the end. But somewhere in the middle, he had to go alone and no one should ever have to endure that, my boy." She reached up and caressed his cheek again, wiping where a tear had trailed down.

She lead him to sit down on a rickety old chair and it creaked when he put his weight on it, but he didn't seem to mind, far too focused on his mother's words with curious eyes. She bent down to his level on the chair and grabbed his hand in hers, thumbing over his knuckles gently before she looked him in the eyes again.

"He's gone now, and we can't change that. However, I'm sure if he could see you now… he would say the same thing that we have all been saying. He had to live without a wife and had to raise a child on his own for twenty years. I don't doubt for a second he made it up as he went, a fierce Viking and a father at the same time. My point is…" she took his other hand and brought them together to fit inside both of hers. It was adorable to her that he was still small enough that his hands together still fit inside hers easily. He however, may not have thought that was very cute and instead thought it wasn't very manly… or vikingly for that matter.

"My point is, I am here now, and I am staying. You are the most important thing in the world to me. But more importantly… you have Astrid. You have Fishlegs, Gobber," she smiled amusedly, "the twins, and… I guess even Snotlout counts."

Hiccup smiled softly, sniffling and looking towards the fire that was still crackling on at the hearth.

"You're not doing this alone. We won't let you. You've got more than just seven people on your side that say you have help and you have partners, and you have family."

"Family…" he whispered, looking at the hearth still. The fire reflected into his eyes and it seemed to bring out the emotion in them.

Turning to look back at his mother, Hiccup smiled genuinely. Though, sadness still could be seen in his eyes, but Valka had a feeling he was beginning to make sense of what she was trying to imply, and hopefully as time wore on he would learn that he is not alone… even if he thought he had been when he was a child.

Tears began to pool in his eyes again as he looked at her, hands shaking and smiling faultering but trying to stay strong.

"All those years, when I was younger… when I was teenager and I was shunned… I…" his voice cracked and his face scrunched up, bowing his head. Valka could barely hear his next choked words.

"All those years… I didn't know it… but he was there."

Valka stood up, smiled, and wrapped her arms around him again, bringing him up to bear hug her again.

"He still is."


End file.
